|
RB |
Ron Brounes
2319A
WORDSWORTH ▪ |
|
|
|
FOR WHAT IT’S WORTH
| “ |
Issue 80 |
|
| By: Ron Brounes |
December 2006 |
“Is this the little girl I carried?” Last month
Emmy experienced her first Jewish tradition, the baby naming. Now, many of you (gentile friends) must be
thinking, “Isn’t her name already Emily Blair Brounes? What about that expensive monogrammed blanket
we gave her?” Well, in the Jewish
religion, it is customary to give a newborn a Hebrew name in addition to the
English one. The name often serves to
honor the memory of deceased relatives and gives the baby a connection to her
family’s past. Therefore, on a
day-by-day basis, she still will be known as Emily, Emmy, Baby Em, Pookie Bear (OK…just by
Daddy), but on Jewish occasions like holidays, her Bat Mitzvah, Hebrew School
(yes, you ARE going to Hebrew School, young lady), she will forever be called…Menucha Chaya.
In
Hebrew, Menucha translates into “peaceful, tranquil,
a child who will grant pleasure.” Chaya simply means “life” and symbolizes the new wonderful
life we now share together. Emmy (rather
Menucha Chaya) is named for
two very special women who served as matriarchs of their respective
families. Mae “Menucha”
Sandman was her maternal great grandmother (Grandma Libby Hachenburg’s
mom). Ida Sarah “Chaya”
Garfinkel was Emmy’s paternal great grandmother (Mamaw Helen Brounes’ mother). Both women migrated at young ages to the
To
be clear, the “ch” is Hebrew does not sound like the
traditional “ch” in English. It must come from deep down in one’s throat
(or even the diaphragm) and often brings up a bit of phlegm in the process (at
least, when it is pronounced correctly).
Needless to say, Menucha Chaya
does not just roll off the tongue. Barb’s
late father Walter used to tell a story about his native German language. He said that even the most beautiful of
creatures sound ugly when spoken in German.
Butterfly, for example, is among God’s most lovely creations. The English word butterfly has a nice ring to
it; in French it is known as papillon, another
beautiful word. Yet, in German, it
translates to schmetterling. Similarly, from a language standpoint, Hebrew
words are not always music to the ears. So,
while Menucha Chaya may be
somewhat of a mouthful, please know that Emily is named for two very special
women and we hope and pray she will follow in their footsteps and live up to the
symbolism of those “beautiful” names she shares with them.
SWIFTLY FLOW THE DAYS
“When did she get to be a beauty?” Emmy is
growing by leaps and bounds and seems bigger (and heavier) each time we get her
up in the morning. (I even threw out my
back last week, a common hardship of the “mature” father.) At her two month doctor’s appointment, she
had attained the 70th percentile in height (length) and the 40th
percentile in weight. Tall
and thin…not a bad combination.
(Perhaps, she has Supermodel in her future?) She sleeps well (through the night most of
the time), eats like a trooper (can we start buying James Coney Island in those
little baby jars?), and is rarely fussy (except when she is tired, hungry, wet,
dirty, bored, or moody). She has become
far more alert, coos at her mobile and stuffed animals, and even laughs out
loud at my funny faces (though Barb claims she is laughing “at me” not “with
me”).
She
continues to be loved by all who meet her.
While Mamaw (Brounes) and Aunt Tootie (Fradkin) still fight over holding her each time
they are together, Uncle Steve (Fradkin) actually got the nod for the first
nighttime baby-sitting duty. (That evening
The Eyes of Texas became her favorite
lullaby; it may be the only song Steve knows.)
Her Pop (Brounes) has a room filled with photos depicting “the many
faces of Emmy.” Cousins Lori and Leslie (Fradkin)
both had instant attractions when they were visiting for Thanksgiving (pretty
impressive that they could be so smitten over anyone who isn’t a 20-something
boy). Grandma Libby (Hachenburg) spent
so much time reading to Emmy during her visit that she may very well have the
entire Dr. Seuss collection memorized.
Aunts Candy and Becky (Hachenburg) gave their best Mamaw/Tootie
impressions by fighting over holding, feeding, and dressing Emmy while they
were in town. (I don’t recall them
changing any diapers, however.) Uncle
Mark (Hachenburg) walked around all weekend with a “burpie”
ready to be called into action at the first sign of drool. Uncle Rich (Hachenburg) tried his best to
convert Emmy into becoming a Miami Hurricane fan. (Pretty bad timing given their 6-6 record and
berth in the MPC Computers Bowl Classic…Then again,
it may be more impressive than the Alamo Bowl?).
IN MEMORIAM
“
While
these two traditional enemies spent much of their last year avoiding each
other, they had actually grown somewhat attached over their last few
months. Max once again enjoyed the run
of the entire house and the two could often be seen snoozing in close proximity
to each other. They dined together each
night and begged for table scraps once they learned that the power of two
voices was more effective than one. Max and Flo lived
long wonderful lives and were the most loyal of companions to Barb and me at a
time when we truly needed them. For 16
and 14 years respectively (before we found each other), Max and Flo were our roommates, our nightly dining companions, our
confidants when we had good news to relay or a bad day to vent over. They shared our tastes in TV (and rarely
grabbed for the remote) and kept us from being alone on Saturday nights when
our other friends had plans. They truly
served their purpose in life and lived up to the title of Man’s Best Friend. (I’ve learned that cats qualify for this title
also.) They will be sorely missed.
While Emmy never had the chance to get to know them,
she will forever hear tales of Max and Flo and the
great joys they brought to Mommy and Daddy.
(Plus, the stains in the carpet serve as another reminder.) She
will see their photos throughout the house and one day will learn the joy of
becoming a pet owner. (Surely she will want a dog, won’t she?) And so the circle of life continues. “One season following
another. Laden with happiness and tears.”
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
FOR WHAT IT’S WORTH is a publication of Brounes & Associates focusing on not much of
anything other than personal anecdotes, musings, and mindless thoughts about life. Please call Ron
at